at which a mad black woman rants about New Orleans, insomnia, teaching, various -isms and anything else involving a bitch, a spot or the letter g

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Girl, girl, girl!

When my father heard that my mother had had a girl, his first words were, "A girl?" as if the obstetrician had said she'd given birth to an ostrich.

First I heard that girls weren't supposed to be smart. Then that they can't throw properly. That they are no good at math. A girl whistling in a house is bad luck. Smart girls are an oxymoron and/or a perversion of nature. Girls can't serve at the altar. Girls can't __, are __, should only __ and must never __. I never understood how sex was anathema for girls but not for boys--were the boys fucking each other? What's so inferior about a clitoris and vagina? I also never understood how boys and men could shit all over women when they wouldn't exist without at least one.

The warrants behind the pro-life movement essentially demonize women, assuming they make callous choices blithely and that as givers of life they really despise life. The idea is to keep us quiet, pregnant, at home, beholden and intimidated. Fuck that. I see no reason why sexism (and racism) aren't in the DSM-IV. Both involve delusions and psychological distortions. If I talked about and treated dogs the way some men talk about (and treat) women, I'd have the ASPCA on my ass.If you have a problem with me b/c I'm a woman, that's your damn problem.

OK, OK, not much of a post against sexism but shit--I'm at a conference in a this-side-of-shitty motel room and just got Internet today, I'm in pain and tired. As a woman, I always have too damn much to do anyway. Sexism 101.

2 Comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought that was a pretty damn good post. I like all those blanks. The DSM-IV line of thought is an interesting one. People will want to blow you up for it--talk about politically incorrect! But push 'em, G.